Chapter 67

(Crying and sobbing, begging for votes...)

Standing naked in this world, one must seize every available resource, and this has nothing to do with morality.

This is the peak of the Song Dynasty's literary governance, where nothing can bring one quick fame better than a good poem. Since Chen Ke can remember thick medical books, he can naturally remember some popular poems and verses. Although he feels embarrassed to plagiarize contemporaries like Su Shi and Wang Anshi, there are still old Jiang, old Xin, and old Na whose works he can use.

However, he has always held back from taking this shortcut. For one, though good poems are often the result of a stroke of genius, one must first have the talent. In a world where composing poems and filling in verses is as common as daily meals, it’s not hard to become famous by plagiarizing poems, but what’s hard is what to do after becoming famous... When people come asking for poems and inviting you to literary gatherings, how many poets will wait for you to come up with appropriate and substantial works?

Relying solely on plagiarism will only bring temporary fame, but the truth will eventually come out. One must rely on one's own abilities, so Chen Ke has always studied poetry diligently. As for those treasures, he won’t use them unless absolutely necessary.

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"That’s a good test for you, big brother." Seeing Chen Ke’s confident demeanor, his little sister immediately perked up: "Composing a poem requires inspiration, and it’s hard to produce a masterpiece on the spot, so let’s do a couplet instead."

"I’ll take it on." Couplet-making tests basic skills, which is much easier than composing a poem. Chen Ke said with a serious face: "You give me the first line."

"Okay." The little sister’s eyes twinkled, and she suddenly blushed, then turned to push open the window, looking up at the bright moon in the sky: "Closing the door, I push the moon out of the window, the moon is bright and the stars are sparse..." She looked at Chen Ke, her eyes smiling into two crescent moons: "It will definitely not rain tonight."

"This level won’t stump me," Chen Ke sighed in relief: "Throwing a stone stirs the sky in the water, the sky is high and the air is fresh."

"There’s another line." The little sister said coyly: "It will definitely not rain tonight."

"What kind of couplet is this?" Chen Ke shook his head.

"Come on, quick..." The little sister shook his arm, pouting.

"What’s so hard about it," Chen Ke said with a smirk: "Tonight for tomorrow, definitely for certainly, no rain for frost."

"Put them together?" The little sister’s eyes were sweet.

"Tomorrow will definitely be frosty..." Chen Ke said with a helpless look.

"Let’s go to bed." The little sister’s face flushed, retreating to the door like a fawn, turning back to make a cute face: "Big brother is the worst, taking advantage of me..." Then she giggled and ran off.

"What advantage did I take?" Chen Ke said, puzzled.

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The night passed without incident, and the next morning came.

Eating in front of elders is always a bit restrained, so the Chen brothers have dinner in the backyard with the Su family, but breakfast is taken in their own courtyard.

After the Su brothers and the little sister got up and washed up, they went to the main hall to greet their parents.

Compared to four years ago, Lady Cheng’s fine wrinkles at the corners of her eyes had increased, and there was a faint cloud of worry on her brow. But in front of the children, she tried to act as if nothing was wrong: "Hurry up and have breakfast."

"Yes." The children each took their seats, just about to start eating when footsteps were heard at the door. It was Aunt Zhang, the Chen family’s servant. She smiled and said: "Master Su, Lady Su, my third young master sent me over."

"It’s milk." Su Shi took it, curious, and opened the ceramic bottle, puzzled: "Why another one?" The Chen brothers drink milk every morning, and naturally, the Su family gets a share.

"It’s goat’s milk." Aunt Zhang smiled.

"Goat’s milk?" Lady Cheng and Su’s little sister instinctively covered their noses, but then they heard the old woman continue: "The third young master went out early this morning and took a long time to get it back."

"Uh..." The mother and daughter quickly put down their hands.

"The third young master said that you and your daughter won’t feel uncomfortable drinking goat’s milk like you do with cow’s milk."

Due to lactose intolerance, some people shouldn’t drink cow’s milk, but goat’s milk doesn’t have this problem, and it’s also more nutritious and easier to absorb.

The only issue is that goat’s milk is very gamey. Lady Cheng and Su’s little sister only tried it once and never wanted to touch it again.

However, to not辜负 Chen Ke’s heartfelt gesture, they had to pinch their noses and drink it.

So the mother and daughter each poured a bowl of steaming hot goat’s milk, bracing themselves for the gamey taste, and bravely... sipped a small mouthful. To their surprise, it tasted rich and fragrant, with no gamey flavor at all.

"Is this goat’s milk?" The little sister’s lips were white with a small patch.

"Isn’t this goat’s milk?" Aunt Zhang countered.

"Then why isn’t it gamey?"

"When the third young master boiled the milk, he added almonds, and when he bottled it, he removed all the almond pieces." Aunt Zhang sighed: "I’ve never seen him be so meticulous before." She then gave the little sister a knowing smile and left.

After Aunt Zhang left, Su Xun asked curiously: "What’s the third young master up to?"

"I know." Su Shi winked at the little sister: "It’s to nourish the body for the dictionary compilation."

"..." The little sister’s face immediately turned red, and she kicked him under the table.

"Is that so." Su Xun nodded, looking at his daughter’s lovely face for a while before silently eating his breakfast.

After the children went to school, Lady Cheng cleared the table and brought a pot of hot tea to the desk. Seeing Su Xun staring blankly at a book, she asked softly: "What are you thinking about, my lord?"

"Dear..." Su Xun held his wife’s hand and sighed: "I’m thinking about our little daughter, who is about to turn fifteen."

"Oh..." Lady Cheng was slightly taken aback, then sighed: "I always feel she’s still a child, but before we know it, she’s already of marriageable age." In those days, girls could be betrothed at fifteen, and after the betrothal, they would tie up their hair and wear a hairpin, known as 'reaching the age of marriage.'

"It’s time to arrange a marriage for the little sister." Su Xun said slowly: "The governor of Yazhou, Lei Taishou, has a son named Lei Fang, who is sixteen, talented, and handsome. The governor has mentioned several times about a marriage alliance between our families, but I’ve always held back because our daughter is still young."

"Let’s ask the little sister first." Lady Cheng said softly: "She might already have someone in mind."

"Marriage is a matter decided by parents and matchmakers. What does a child know?" Su Xun shook his head: "You, as a mother, shouldn’t be too indulgent."

"My lord, you know that the little sister and the third young master of the Chen family are especially close." Lady Cheng sighed.

"That’s exactly what I’m upset about!" Su Xun’s facade crumbled, his face stern: "Playing together as children can be considered sibling affection, but now that they are of marriageable age, they still stick together all the time. What’s going on?" His voice grew louder as he spoke.

"Lower your voice," Lady Cheng quickly pulled her husband: "Aunt Zhang is sweeping the yard."

"I want her to hear!" Su Xun said sternly: "Tell the third young master, that cunning boy, to stop pretending to be foolish around my daughter." He then said helplessly: "My daughter, a clever girl, turns into a fool in front of him! How can she not see through his tricks!"

"Maybe the third young master hasn’t reached that stage yet." Lady Cheng covered her mouth and laughed: "When we first got married, you were like a big monkey, only interested in playing with birds and dogs, never looking at me!"

"Hey, why are you bringing me into this..." Su Xun’s face turned red, then he said angrily: "Even if he doesn’t understand, does his father not? I think he’s just become arrogant since he became an official, looking down on our humble family, and wants to climb higher!" It’s undeniable that various frustrations have made Su Xun somewhat biased in recent years.

"Ah, my lord, you must be wrong about Uncle Chen," Lady Cheng firmly denied: "He’s not a snob. Since he started his career in the first year of Huangyou, Uncle Chen has never returned to Sichuan, so how could he know about the new feelings of the young ones?"

"You don’t have to keep defending him." Su Xun was still angry: "He’s just a minor official. The governor himself wants to marry my daughter, why is he putting on airs!"

"Since my lord is so angry, why not write a letter to Uncle Chen, hinting at this matter?" Lady Cheng suggested softly.

"Write a letter?" Su Xun’s eyes widened, his face saying 'You’re really funny': "No way! My daughter can find a husband, I don’t need to beg him!"

"Ah..." Lady Cheng shook her head, at a loss for words.

Seeing her silent, Su Xun hesitated: "Find a suitable time to hint to that boy, don’t let him remain clueless. That boy is very wise, he’ll know what to do."

"That’s the right approach." Lady Cheng smiled: "Drink your tea, it’s getting cold."

"Um..." Su Xun picked up the teacup, sipped a mouthful, and sighed: "If the little sister marries the third young master, I won’t have to worry about her like I do with the eldest daughter..."

"..." Hearing her husband mention the eldest daughter, Lady Cheng’s brows, which had just relaxed, clouded over again: "It’s been a year and a half since her marriage, and she still hasn’t conceived. When she came home last time, she wouldn’t tell me why." She couldn’t help but feel her eyes turn red: "Although she always forces a smile, as a mother, I can see the pain in her heart..."

"Ah, hearing you say this, I’m even more worried..." Su Xun’s face darkened: "When I go to Meizhou for the Qingming Festival to pay respects to our ancestors, I’ll go straight to the Cheng family without notice, to see how the eldest daughter is doing!" He slammed his fist on the desk: "If they dare to mistreat her, I won’t let it go!"

"..." On one side is her family, on the other is her own family. Whenever her husband gets like this, Lady Cheng is at a loss for words.

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